Duster.



j Patented May 11, 11915.

MJP. ALLEN.

DUSTEHG ggg v APPucATloN-FILED APR.16, m4.

@vih/como f l ET A' MELVIN P. LLEN, 0F KANSAS CITY, MISSQUBI.

DUSTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May iii, 1931.5.

Application led April 16, 1914. Serial No. 832,243. Y

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MELvrN P. ALLEN, a

Acitizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of JacksonV and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dusters; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in thev art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in dusting devices and has for its primary ob-k ject to provide a device of the hereinafter described character which may be easily and inexpensively*manufactured and which will be highly eilicient in operation.

In carrying out theA above end, I provide an elongated handleQ'a dusting or cleaning element, a U-shaped attaching member for securing the cleaning element tothe handle,

and a sleeve slidable on the handle and adapted to retain said U-shaped member in position as will be hereinafter set forth.

A secondary object of the invention is to form the arms of the U-shaped member in such a manner as to prevent dislocation of the sleeve.

still further object is to construct all of the parts in the most simple manner consistent with the proper operation of the device.. I

With the above objects in view, the in vention resides in certain novel features of construction and combination of parts, herein described and claimed and shown in the drawings wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a duster constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the head thereof; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken upon the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 2 showing the application of a slightly diii'erent form of attaching member, the sleeve being raised; Fig. 5 is-a similar view with the sleeve lowered; and Fig. 6 is a side elevation showing still another form of attaching member.`

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated my invention as including an elongated` handle `1 having longitudinal grooves 2 opening lat its inner end and transverse openings 3 which extend through the handle 'and communicate with the grooves 2, on the opposite sides thereof. As clearly -shown in the vertical sectional views, the

openings 3 are spaced longitudinally, this provision being made for a purpose to appear.

Adapted to be attached to the handle 1 is a dusting or cleaning element 4 lwhich is here shown as formed of a plurality of strands of cord, although it may be of any desired form, such for instance as an ordinary dust cloth.

For the purpose of uniting the cleaning element 4 and the handle 1, I have provided the U-sha-ped attaching members indicated at 5 in the drawings, the form illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 comprising-a pair of upright arms 6 which are adapted to lie with# in the grooves 2 and to retain the element 4 between the cross -bar 7 and the inner end of the handle 1, the outer ends of said arms 6 being turned inwardly as indicated at 8, said inturned portions being adapted for insertion into certain of the openings 3. By providing a number of the longitudinally spaced openings 3, it will be seen that the device will accommodate dusting elements of various sizes.

For the purpose of locking the inturned ends 8 and the arms 6 against dislocation, I provide a sleeve 9 which is slidable upon the handle 1 and is limited in its outward movement by a stop 10. When the parts are assembled,'the sleeve 9 is adapted to be forced over the arms 6 thereby retaining the same in iixed relation to the handle.

In connection with the .features so far described, it becomes expedient to provide means for preventing the strands of the element 4 from entering the space between the arms 6 and the inner walls of the grooves 2, thereby obviating the possibility of cutting said strands when the sleeve 9 is moved downwardly. For this purpose I have provided the slotted washer 11, illustrated most A clearly in Fig. 3, said washer being disposed between the inner end of the handle l and the element 4 and eifectually performing its function.

In Figs. 4 and 5, I have shown the U- shaped attaching member 5 as having its arms 6 bulged or curved outwardly intermediate their ends, this construction yieldingly locking the sleeve 9 against movement when the same is in operative position.

' As still another' manner in which the at taching members 5 may be constructed, I

have shown in Fig. 6, a loop 7 which is of substantially ring shape, employed in place of the transverse cross bar 7, shown in the tirst'few figures of the drawings. The coaction of this type of attaching member, with the remaining features of the invention, is identical with the Jform illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3.

By merely curving the arms 6 (see Figs.-

l and outwardly, it will be seen that they not only perform the function of retaining the inturned ends S in position within certain of the openings 3, but as above stated., they serve to prevent dislocation of the sleeve 9. This becomes a salient feature oi`4 the invention in its manufacture and successful operation.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have produced an extremely simply constructed cluster which may be inexpensively manufactured and yet will be highly efficient in operation.

I have described my invention with considerable minuteness but I do not wish to be limited to details of construction other than those ampliied in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is A device of the character described comprising an elongated cylindrical handle having at its lower end longitudinal grooves arranged at diametrically opposite points thereon said handle having transverse openings whose ends terminate in said longitudiinseam nal grooves, a cleaning element held below the end of said handle, a flat circular washet` disposed between the flat ylower end of said handle and the cleaning element, said 'washer being of a greater diameter than the end of the handle to form a projecting liange, and having a centrally disposed transverse slot or' sufiicient length to allow its ends to aline with the longitudinal grooves on the end of the handle, a substantially U-shaped engaging member gripping said cleaning element and having its arms projecting through the ends ot the slot in said washer and arranged within the longitudinal grooves oi the handle, the extreme free ends of said arms being bent inwardly at right angles to project into one or' the said transverse openings in the handle, that portion of the arms extending between the washer andv the inwardly bent ends being bulged outwardly along their entire length between the points aforesaid, a cylindrical sleeve slidably mounted on the handle, and ythe downward movement of said sleeve being 'limited by the flange formed by the washer, substaiitially as described and for the purposes set '.liorth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in lnesence of two subscribing witnesses.

lvlllLVIN I). ALLEN.

Allitnesses:

ll. M. PnnLLn, Jouw Momie, 

